MASTER St. JOHN HIS SPEECH IN PARLIAMENT On Monday, the 17th. of January.  
CONCERNING The Charge of Treason then exhibited to the BISHOPS, Formerly accused by the House of Commons, Anno Domini, 1641.  
LONDON, Printed for R. B. in the Year, 1641.   

Mr. St. JOHN HIS SPEECH IN PARLIAMENT.  
Mr. SPEAKER,  
THis Charge of Treason which hath been now read unto these Persons accused, is (as I conceive) a sufficient Confirmation of our former Accusation; not only their endeavours to procure their own desires in an unlawful and irregular manner but the very Action of their Attempt proves them guilty of treason: this treason wherewith they stand charged is matter of Fact not to be answered by witnesses or circumstances, but by answering guilty or not; and being proved against them, to receive their sentence: This manner of proceeding is congruent to the Common Laws of this Land; from which Parliamentary proceed in such cases never derogates.  
These Persons some of them have wisely recanted their Fact, and submitted themselves to this House representing the whole Body Politic of this Kingdom, and the rest doth yet stand in they error presuming to undertake to justify their Actions: and the chiefest inducer of these to continue their Resolutions, is generally conceived to●● the now Bishop of York, late Bishop of Lincoln. This man Master Speaker, hath been well reputed and thought of by most of this Kingdom and by this Honourable House enlarged from his long imprisonment formerly endured in the Tower, restored to his former Dignity and Honour, admitted to his place in the Lord's House; what good then might this Prelate have done to his Country so well respected & favoured by most of the Lords, and his vote with them well esteemed, by his endeavours to avert the intentions of the rest of the Bishops, for putting in execution their future wicked Actions, by endeavouring to setlle true Reliction and punish delinquents in the same, he always seeming to be the best affected of any in these times of that function, in places of authority and jurisdiction in the Church. And by endeavouring rightly to inform His Majesty and his Lords, that did but a little disfavor the same, concerning the Antiquity and purity of the true Protestant Religion, the danger and sin in innovating the same, and not the Antiquity of Bishops and their power in Ecclesiastical causes, nay in civil as well as Ecclesiastical, that in the first their jurisdiction was the chiefest & highest, yea above the Kings; that in the second they were in Courts of civil judicature, if by the King called thereunto, of equal power with the Privy Counsel and Judges of the Land, nay their Votes must be above & against them all to pass for sentences and right judgements; no opposition or contradiction must be against them by any of what degree soever; nay so high and proud were these Prelates grown that they dare adventure to abridge & abrogate the King's royal prerogative in issuing forth warrants & process in their several Courts, which ever was used to be read, Carolus Dei Gratia etc. Now must be read, Gulielmus Divina providentia Dei, Archiepistopus etc. In their names must writs and process issue, and not in the Kings. I say these things should not have been by this Prelate defended and maintained, but rejected & detected; Voted against as well by himself as the rest of the Lords of that House, and the offenders herein as well by his endeavours as other the faithful Counsellors of the State, brought to deserved punishment: but contrariwise this Bishop hath not only refused to consent to the rectifying things amiss in the Clergy, but opposed the same; hath not only been retrograde in voting for their punishment that have abused both themselves, professions and power, but obstinately Voted against their punishment, hath not only refused to assent to regulate the office of Episcopacy; but likewise opposed the same, and in persuance of these his Actions hath as it is strongly to be presumed, drawn many of the other Bishops to be of his resolution and evil opinion, that the Parliament cannot consist of the House of Lords temporal and Commons: although they cannot produce any Precedents or Act of Parliament, that there was ever four degrees congruent to the holding of a Parliament, as of necessity since we professed the Protestant Religion, and admitted of a Reformation in this Kingdom, but only in the time of Superstition; in which time the Clergy increased to that height and Dignity they are now attained unto, and procured to themselves the denomination of Lords spiritual; but neither of late, nor (ab initio) it was so, only three degrees of Councillors have been sufficient in Parliament to regulate the Affairs of this Kingdom, and make Laws for the good government thereof. Indeed, I confess that it may be as necessary for Bishops to sit in Parliament to give their advice in Points of Divinity concerning Religion, as Judges sit there to give their opinions in Points of Law concerning judicature; but otherwise it is no way expedient, but altogether unnecessary, (as I under favour conceive) either to have their Votes concerning Religion, or any ways to intermeddle, or give advice touching temporal Affairs. And thus having shown you the first step to this Treason, their opinion of the inconsistency of Parliament, without their assistance; I come to the second Step; That a Parliament is forced and illegally assembled, if the same doth continue to agitate or determine of any thing whatsoever in the absence of the Bishops. And lastly, which completes and makes up the whole Treason, their protestation against the proceed of the Parliament in their absence: These things have been sufficiently already debated on, and concluded by general vote to be high Treason. Therefore I conclude, having only showed you in what manner I conceive is best to proceed to their trial (by the rules of the Common Law joined with the power and wisdom of the Parliament for this their Fact of Treason;) and also shown you divers of their enormous and wicked Actions, making much for proof of their Ambitious and treacherous intentions from the beginning; humbly leaving the same to the further consideration of this Honourable House, and desire we may prefix a certain day within some short time, for the final determination of their trial.  
FINIS.